Well, UPS is already in NASCAR, but a desi in NASCAR is definitely news. Narain Karthikeyan, who in 2004 became the first driver from India to race in the Formula One world championship, has jotted up another first to his credit. Karthikeyan, who previously has raced in the LeMans series as well for one of the privateer Audi teams, has secured a drive in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, as  Speed TV reported earlier today.

… Narain Karthikeyan «NA-rain kar-thee-KAY-un» will make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut on March 27 in the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway. Karthikeyan, who is India’s first NASCAR driver, will drive the Wyler Racing No. 60 SafeAuto Chevrolet Silverado.

SpeedTV further reports that Karthikeyan will drive the No. 60 Wyler Racing truck in selected races, the schedule for which is due to be announced soon.

Interestingly Starbeast Motorsports, a newly formed company that is supporting Karthikeyan’s drive is attempting to bring NASCAR into the consciousness of motor racing fans in Asia and Narain’s hiring seems to be part of that strategy.

At UberDesi, we have keenly followed Narain’s career from the feeder races to Formula 1 and LeMans. Rest assured that his NASCAR sourjourn will be watched with similar interest and covered in detail here.

All the best, Narain. At least this year, we will be watching the NASCAR Truck series. Do us proud.

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This short documentary on Time Videos hits so many facets of car ownership in rural India, that it could easily pass for a commercial if we did not know better. A farmer in rural Haryana is one of the first to own a car, he is able to do so thanks to the easy on the pocket Nano. From explaining his reason for upgrading from a scooter to a car – he could not fit his family of 5, including his mother on the scooter – the video talks of the upswing in his social status stemming from his new acquisition and goes into a Raksha Bandhan celebration at which the Nano becomes the talking piece. (@desinole via #uberdesi)

The automobile aficionados have long been looking forward to the cheap yet efficient trucks and SUV’s from Mahindra to hit the “western” shores.

The first review look promising for the company.

Overall, ride quality and noise, vibration and harshness is very competitive with current U.S. midsize pickups, if not superior to some. Shocking, we know, but it’s true. This is a truck that could function as a daily driver as well as a workhorse.

Although the reviewer drove a pre-production model, it looks like Mahindra will have a go at the more established companies. This might also set them up for an easier launch of their SUV.

Starting 2010 Tata plans on selling its Electric Indica in Norway.

Autobloggreen reports that the model that was on display at the Detroit Motor Show is already being tested in its new home.

Although the all-electric Tata Indica on display at the SAE World Congress in Detroit this week is not the soon-to-be-released model, there’s a lot we can learn from the vehicle – and from TM4’s Eriz Azeroual – about how the technology will be implemented when the new model goes on sale in Norway either later this year or in early 2010 (yes, this is later than previously expected). Tata Motors showed off the Indica EV at the Bologna Motor Show in December, but the hatchback is making an appearance in Detroit because of the work that TM4, a subsidiary of Hydro Québec, did providing the permanent magnet motor and the inverter. TM4’s Azeroual (he’s business development manager there) told us that a limited number of the Indica’s are already testing in Norway and that Tata Motors is “a cool company. Very aggressive.” Even though they’re most famous for the Nano and apparently wanting to dominate the low-end automobile market, in Europe market they want to be known for electric vehicles.

The reason for a country as obscure as Norway… The tax on petrol (or gas as some people like to call it). And of course, these cars might make their way to the American shores soon after.

Norway is a perfect entry point to bring an EV to Europe because there is a high tax on gasoline-powered vehicles. The high cost of electric vehilces isn’t totally equalized by the taxes, but EVs and gas-powered vehicle prices end up being “comparable” in Norway and this presents customers with an “interesting choice,” Azeroual said. Following the Norwegian introduction, Tata plans to expand the Indica EV to other European markets and then possibly the U.S.

Although they look like a Focus, specially the back end, I would think that this is a good move. Given that Tata are in a partnership with Fiat, who in turn are trying to get in bed with Chrysler, Tata might find an easy route to the USA, along with an already existing dealer network.

They could tap into their existing Jaguar and Land Rover dealerships, by me thinks that an Indica, specially a green one might not look at home in a British car dealership.

India may not have made a mark yet in auto Industry like Germany in engineering superiority, or Japan in durability and innovation.  But we do have a new feather in the cap – the world’s cheapest car – that comes with a distinct set of advantages and disadvantages. Tata motors have claimed their fulfillment of a promise to India and to offer a safer alternative (compared to 2-wheelers) when it comes to mode of transport in India and possibly other developing countries where Nano is set for launch in the next few years.

Jyothi Thottam on TIME.COM writes -

In New Delhi in the early 1970s, my family traveled by scooter in the classic, death-defying Indian fashion. My father would drive, with me, a toddler, standing in front gripping the handlebars and my mother seated pillion, my infant sister in her arms. My father was a civil engineer and my mother a nurse, and in India at that time, cars for a young family were far out of reach.

More than 30 years later, I recently listened to Ratan Tata, chairman of one of India’s largest companies, describe a family just like mine as the inspiration for the Nano, the ultra-cheap “people’s car” that Tata Motors officially launches today. “What sparked it off was riding in a car and looking at them and saying, ’surely there’s a safer way that these people can be transported,’” Tata recalls.

Driven by an adept leadership that understood the user requirements and the chasm in the automotive industry between the 2 wheeler and the 4 wheeler market in India – the idea of Nano looked feasible to Tata Motors that now owns Jaguar and Land Rover brands.

The Nano project has been touted as a management success as much as it has been lauded for its technical innovation and supply management.

97% of the materials are locally manufactured. The mileage is nearly 54 miles/gallon and the engine is in the rear of the car though the vehicle is still front wheel drive. More facts here…

Nano’s launch was not without its share of controversies and the possibility of the small car adding to the problem of clogged up metros and cities in India which are under severe logistical problems during rush hours where the average traffic speed is 10-20 miles per hr, and more 4 wheelers on the road would possibly add to the chaos.

Then there were political problems involved with the Nano car plant first being set up in Singur, West Bengal but ran into problems with the land acquisition process with the farmers who were backed by Mamta Banerjee and protests took a violent turn. The Nano manufacturing plant then shifted to Sanand, Gujarat.

While, the profit margin on the car is low, and the market scenario is not really the best time to launch a new product, Tata Motors seem optimistic of the fact that the low priced car would fit a common man’s needs and give him the luxury of a 4-wheeler in countries in Asia and possibly South America in a few years.

TIME.COM also has a gallery dedicated to Nano here… (Tip -Santosh)

While India celebrates its mark on the auto industry in a unique way – debate is still on about pollution, and traffic congestion problems that continue to dog the ‘people’s car’.

But the fact cannot be denied that, the world has taken notice of India’s unique needs and solutions that come from within the country, that can also help other people across the world.